Moms will move mountains for their kids. Ever since Alex’s diagnosis, I’ve poured my heart and soul into researching as much as possible to learn everything and anything there was to know about perinatal stroke.
I found out about Baby Champ (Childrens Hand Arm Movement Project) last summer after some initial research and chatting with moms in Facebook groups. Baby Champ allows Alex to receive occupational therapy by a licensed OT 3 hours a day, 5 times a week for an entire month, helping to create new pathways in his brain for using his right arm and hand. Like many children impacted from stroke, it affects motor control on the opposite side of the body from where the stroke occurred. Because Alex’s injury was on the left side of his brain, his right side of the body is mostly affected, more so on his upper extremity (the arm) than his leg, although he does have tightness in his right leg and is subject to pro-nation. He wears an ankle foot orthotic to help him walk and feel more stable on his right side as he takes steps.
Because 80% of your brain pathways are formed by the age of 3, I have been wanting for him to participate in this study for over a year. Due to a long wait list, he’s finally been accepted into the program, and this study will help him become as independent as possible and maximize use of his right arm/hand. Baby Champ is only conducted in two cities in the country – Roanoke, Virginia and Columbus, Ohio. We will be living and paying for a house for a month in Roanoke while the therapy is conducted, and my husband will be making frequent trips back and forth to continue working. We’ll also be creating a private Facebook community to follow Alex’s progress in September!
Baby Champ randomly places participants into one of three groups – full arm constraint for one month (of the good arm) which helps the child focus more on using the affected arm/hand, the part-time group (which is the group Alex is in and explained above) and then bilateral, which is no constraint, but working with the child to develop as much use of the affected arm with assistance from the good arm as possible. All three of these methods have been shown to assist children with spastic hemiplegic cerebral palsy rebuild pathways in the brain and recover some use of the arm/hand.
While Alex will most certainly never be right-handed, we do believe this has the potential for a positive outcome. I am trying not to get my hopes up, but feel we have to try to give Alex every shot he can at success.
Your support gives us the ability to focus on Alex, his therapy in September, and with every donation, we will send you an #AlexStrong bracelet for helping Alex achieve his fullest potential!
https://www.gofundme.com/alex-goes-to-baby-champ
From one parent to another – thank you! <3
You can read more about the study here.
Onward and upward! “He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless.” – Isaiah 40:29